Chatfield Reallocation Project Lessons Learned John M. Kaufman General Manager Centennial Water and Sanitation District Highlands Ranch, CO 303-791-0430 Construction View looking to southeast Began in 1965 by the Corps; completed in 1975 2nd of 3 dams to reduce flooding in the Denver area 1st dam impounds Cherry Creek Reservoir completed in 1950 3rd dam impounds Bear Creek Reservoir completed in 1982 Chatfield Reservoir Today Dam: . 13,136 feet long . Maximum height of 147 feet Location: . On the South Platte River at confluence with Plum Creek . 25 miles southwest of downtown Denver Reservoir: . Length = 2 miles . Average depth = 47 feet . Drainage area = 3,018 miles2 . Current surface area = 1,479 acres . Normal storage volume = 27,046 AF . Total flood storage capacity = >350,000 AF Purpose of Chatfield Reservoir Multipurpose reservoir uses: . Flood control (1st priority) . Municipal . Industrial . Agriculture . Recreation . Fisheries and wildlife habitat Corps owns the dam, reservoir, and surrounding land property: . Leases 5,381 acres to Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife to operate Cherry Creek State Park and for fish production . Leases storage space to Denver Water Chatfield Sate Park Over 1,000,000 visitors per year Project Need Colorado’s population projected to increase 65% from 4.34M in 2000 to 7.16M in 2030 . Front Range demand to surpass supply by 22% . 2030 shortfall = 90,700 AF . Chatfield Reservoir – a partial solution to store surface water and reduce demand for on non-renewable ground water . Make use of an existing instream reservoir facility Regional water demand . Municipal use . Agriculture . Environmental Project Authority Section 808 of Water Resources Development Act of 1986 River and Harbor Act of 1958 Project Participants Town of Castle Rock Colorado Parks and Wildlife Castle Pines Metropolitan District Colorado Water Conservation Board Castle Pines North Metropolitan District Centennial Water and Sanitation District Center of Colorado Water Conservancy District Central Colorado Water Conservancy District Project Goals 20,600 AF storage for the metro Denver, northeast Colorado farms, and Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife; average annual yield = 8,539 AF Mitigate environmental impacts Modify recreational facilities to preserve current uses Support from Corps, Congress, local governments, businesses, environmental organizations, regulators, and other stakeholders Record of Decision (ROD) Project Study Scope Impact on natural and cultural resources Impact of new reservoir water levels on: . Upland and wetland habitat . Recreational activities and facilities . Aquatic habitat . Endangered species Impact on socioeconomic resources Identify mitigation measures Chatfield State Park Area to be inundated by reallocation project Blue line = normal low pool (5426 ft) Red line = high pool (5444 ft) Project Status 1984: project begins; over $10M spent to obtain ROD (excluding staff salaries) June 2014: ASA for Civil Works issued ROD / approved FR/EIS October 2014: ASA approved Water Storage Agreement and Omaha District Commander signed Agreement with Colorado October 2014: Audubon Society of Denver filed suit in Federal District Court to block the project; decision is pending October 2015: mitigation company formed to secure contracts for engineering and environmental work April 2017 final designs due for construction and mitigation work November 2017 construction work to start and end mid-2018 Current projected project cost: $154M exclusive of operating costs $7,500 per AF of available storage space; $18,000 per AF average annual yield Flood of 2015 Technical Advisory Committee Chatfield Reservoir Mitigation Company Chatfield State Park Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife: . Aquatic Biology Section . Resource Stewardship Section . Water Resources Section Colorado Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Conservation Board Conservation Colorado Denver Water Douglas County Division of Open Space & Natural Resources Sierra Club South Suburban Parks and Recreation Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District Army Corps of Engineers, Chatfield Operations U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Western Resource Advocates Lessons Learned Time: 20 to 30 years Dedicated full-time staff Lawsuit(s) may occur Perseverance required Extensive lobbying required Constant Corps turnover of staff Collaboration with stakeholders is key Legal team for IGAs and contracts Complexities are mind-boggling Development cost – $10M+ to get to the ROD Questions? .